Arsenal Main Utility Menu

Gigya account

HowAubaandHenryaresimilar...butdifferent

As soon as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was announced as our new No 14, fans and pundits were quick to liken the Gabon international to Thierry Henry.

Auba certainly started his Arsenal career with a finish our record scorer would have been proud of, impudently dinking the ball over Jordan Pickford to cap a promising debut last weekend.

Arsène Wenger is pleased with how the forward is settling in here - but what about those comparisons?

“I would say [Auba is like] Thierry Henry with his quality of runs,” the boss said. “But it’s a bit too early to compare him to the best player ever who played here. He has played one game. But it’s a good example to follow.

“His finish was brilliant. His finishing is good. You don’t score by coincidence for so many years, if you score many goals. Even in five-a-side he’s able to score goals, so when the guys can repeat that at the top level it means they have that quality.

“Running-wise, he’s a good example to follow. But Thierry came a bit more to the ball as well, participated more in the game.

“He looks to be a happy boy. He has a positive smile and very professional attitude. It’s a bit early for me to tell you more about him - it’s only [been] one week.

“I met him a few times before by coincidence and he looks highly focused on his job. He looks a guy who needs to be completely focused, involved in his team. He looks to me like that.”